Bholling

This explains the adjustment in our port charges for an upcoming cruise that stops at Nassau! May stay on the ship... we'll see. 

What is the fee, if any, for cancellation before final payment? X website says "nominal".

Likely will have to cancel February sailing due to newly-diagnosed heath issues.

Thanks for your input!

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Hard to take, huh, Gek? Don't you just love a happy poster!?!

Counting the days until Constellation cruise...

One of my favorite things about Cruising is that it helps to broaden your food horizons because it gives you a chance to try things you might not otherwise with no fear of being stuck with a stinker.

I usually have two or three dishes in mind when ordering and ask the waiter which he'd recommend. Once in a great while I have actually had the waiter steer me away from choices I thought were sure bets. Trust them!

Most times the food is great, but I've not cared for most veal dishes and once had a big miss with seafood risotto. Probably just an off night in the kitchen!

Bon appetit!

In almost every case, the "second" night of a cruise is formal night. On a 5-nighter, this would be the only one.

Have fun!

Don't remember Meridian but do recall great cruises on the Horizon, Mercury and Zenith. Seems like each ship went out of service shortly after our cruises which made us feel kind of sad.

We have not tried S-class yet, but have also loved Century (2x) and Summit (2x). Constellation is our next voyage this February...can't wait!

DH would say shrimp cocktail since he gets at least two every night. I like shrimp but love to try all the other apps too. The puff pastry and mushroom one comes to mind. And I love everything with goat cheese.

Lamb chops, fresh fish (loup de mer) and steaks are all great! Getting hungry just thinking about it!

Agree that a 4-top can be awkward if you don't mesh well. Of course you can request a change but that's awkward too! We usually prefer a table for 2, but we had a ball and made some friends at a large 12-top on a med cruise.

Can't the Captain's Club also assist with noting this preference on your reservation?

I re-booked under this promotion yesterday and the rep told me that the OBC would show right away but the grats and bevs would take 8-10 days to show up on the on-line reservation.

My updated document did show OBC but not grats or bevs. I still have 107 days so I won't lose any sleep just yet!

Great - thanks Dina!

Just re-booked a February cruise on Constellation with this deal. Financially, we're about $200 ahead versus our original deal (which included senior discounts we had to give up) and we upgraded from a deluxe veranda to a CC cabin in a better location. I'll take it!

Question - can we wait to upgrade drinks pkg to Premium and have the upcharge hit the OBC?

Thanks again and smooth sailing everyone!

Yes if that's my biggest problem I'll take it, right? Who knows, we may end up at both!

Happy sails everyone, and thanks for your feedback.

Details on Chef's Table, please!!

Thinking of booking a specialty restaurant for our short 5-night on Connie this February. This will be our first time on Connie; 8th Celebrity Cruise (we're Elite Level); 14th cruise overall.

We LOVED the Normandy on our two Summit sailings and will probably book at least one night in a specialty restaurant for this trip. Other than the $10 pp upcharge difference, how would you compare the two for overall experience, service, menu choices, etc.?

I absolutely loved the cheese course at Normandy; I believe that is offered at Ocean Liners (as well in MDR) - is it also offered at Tuscan Grill? Any other suggestions or ideas?

Happy sails everyone!! (112 days and counting!!)

Hope you are able to get the perks you've earned, but don't lose a lot of sleep over the beverage packages. We've cruised with and without them, and while it is nice not to have all those bar receipts piling up, for me anyway, they usually turn out not to be worth the cost.

I am fine with the regular coffee from room service or the buffet so no need for me to spend $5 each for specialty coffee drinks. I usually have 2 or 3 drinks max during sea days and 1 or 2 glasses of wine with dinner. We don't usually stay up late enough to spend a lot of time in the bars, so very few nightcaps. Last time we had a package I almost felt compelled to drink more than I normally would just to get my money's worth!

I think on our next cruise in February we will go without the alcohol packages. That way I can feel free to order the wine I really want rather than trying to find one that fits the price point of my package. I can't see how I could possibly drink enough to make up the difference, but more power to those who can!

I ordered the Diva Coral as that ends up being a good color for me once I get some color. I already have a cute multi colored wrap that will match.

I also ordered these cute board shorts in the melonade color that should go well for a sportier look...

http://www.columbia.com/Women%E2%80%99s-Ravina-Gardens%E2%84%A2-Boardshort/FL4547,default,pd.html

Really, I'm done shopping now...except for the 3 dresses I am waiting for...

Yay on the BP success!

I am eyeing a couple of swimsuits on that site right now. If you need help paring your purchases down to a reasonable level, we are all here to support you!! :)

Even though I fully plan to be bikini-ready by my Easter cruise I still wanted a 1-piece for more active times. This is the suit I ordered:

http://www.bostonproper.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=833384&parentCategoryId=0&categoryId=49&subCategoryId=2421

I have had pretty good luck with BP!

I have purchased sweaters and pants mostly (often from the clearance selection) and have been pleased. I am on the tall side and wear a size 10. Their dress pants tend to have 33 inch inseams which is nice.

I have had to return one item - it was relatively painless, but I do not believe it was free...

The new catalog has some very cute things and if you go to the website they have a "Getaways" section that puts together a whole wardrobe collection for cruise, beach, resort, etc. Be careful...you may get hooked!!

Venice, Santorini and Dubrovnik are very easy to do totally on your own; just get a good guide book.

Rome, Naples and Florence are where we did some ship-sponsored tours since the cities themselves (or in the case of Naples, the Amalfi coast and Pompeii, which we wanted to visit) are pretty far from the pier. We mostly did the "On Your Own" tours - which are the type that get you there, give you a brief orientation and let you go for 3-5 hours of independent exploring.

We did not want to worry about bus/train schedules and I realize we could have saved some $$ truly going on our own at these ports, but we sure did not want to miss the ship. (How much would that cost?)

have a fantastic voyage. How lucky are you that your first cruise is the Med??

I've been on 12 cruises and I swear that the instructions are to put your life jacket on, and then proceed quickly and safely to your muster station...not drag the jacket along behind you so the pax behind you trip on the straps...